The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-26
DONNA ISABELLA.
Glimpses OF Beautiful Adventures
at Various stages of Her Career.
Erro,, fbe Nb;N,oo Mil

Glimpses OF a Beautiful Adventures
at Various stages of Her Career.
From the Chicago Mail
As the storm door OF the Iroquois Club
changed in the blast after the departure of
brave, and two of us were left alone with
our amusement, the man on the other side
told me this story between puffs:
You saw that man who just went out Of
the door. He has been a rounder III his day.
or more strictly speaking, in his night. He
was telling me some of his recolections the
other day, and when he finished lie reminded
me Of some character have met with in my
rambles with Washington Irving around
Granada. He had been CHANGING over one
OF the morning papers. 1t dropped out of
his hands, and he sat minute looking at
the ceiling. He said as soon as he had come
to realize where he was, that he had ju t
read of Minnie Cliiford's suicide by dose
of choral in Denver. paid no attention,
save to ask mechanically: Who the devil
is Minnie ClitfordP Then he pushed the
button, and told me the story of a sill gularly
beautiful and Inflated woman. If you don't
mind I'll tell 1t to you.
"One day. he said, Il had nothing else
to do, and walked into the Legislature OF
Colorado. That, in some respects, is unlike
any other capitol in the United States. In
appearance it is more like Stock Exchao ge
than anything else. / took a seat in the
gallery, for it presented the more wonderful
spectacle. 1t was crowded with strange
faces. 1t reminded me of the topography
of that country, which presents new beauties
aud new phases wherever you rest the eye.
Among the faces was one peculiarly at6rac-
tive to me. 1t was that of certain girl,
and when l asked one of the honorable
gentlemen from one of the gulch districts
who she was, he threw one leg over his desk,
pushed back his long hair, and said, in a
careless way. That's Donna Isabella; that's
what tie boys call her. Damme if | know
who she is"
"1 found out who she was. She was the
daughter of a Cuban whose name became
familiar to this country, or at least to the
readers of newspapers, during therevolution
in that country in 1862 if | remember cor
rectly Her father was driven from his
home-that is, he escaped, which is the same
thing in a revolution--and the daughter
found herself in that section of this country
where men and women are judged, like
horses, by the mettle they possess. A short
time after my first sight of her, in the
attire of her own country, / had occasion
to go to Leadville. When a man has
finished his days business in Leadville he
has only one thing to do-that was the
situation at the time | was there-and that
is to go to gambling house Whether you
play or not is no matter, so long as you can
see. | wandered int one of Them and was
not astonished from all | had heard. The
ends of the earth had come together. The
congress Of chance was in session.
The place was magnificent in its appoint
mertS.' The man here gave me the location,
the very number of the building, and the
name of the hotel which was opposite
After which he continued: There
| saw the face which had at
tracted me in the legislative gallery. She
was dressed as Cleopatra, and as / looked at
her, for the first time in my life did ! begin
to understand how it was that the sorceress
of the Nile so effectually wrapped herself
about Antony when he summoned her before
him at Tarsus to explain her conduct at the
battle of Philippi, and how afterwald he
died in her arms And I've been around
the world, too. This Cuban girl was in the
whir1 of the game, and her dress and manner
had the same effect upon men about her that
the glitter of snakes eyes are said to have
for the object it first charms and then
destroys. l remember now that her beauti-
full arms were encircled by golden snakes,
the eyes of which were flashing diamonds.
ga few nights after that, after hours at
another gambling house, it was announced
that bali would be inaugurated after mid
night. A curious announcement to be made
in gambling house, admit. was seeing
the world, and when man is doing that he
doesn't want to stop to think of what he was
told at Sunday school. I saw the ball, and
| want to say that it was the only ball
ever saw. although have been a favored
SON in the height of social seasons in Wash
ington- = l never expect TO see such genuine
splendor, such reckless magnificence, as
saw at this ball in Leadyille. Here was the
Donna Isabella of the legislative gallery,
the Cleopatra of the gaming room. On this
occasion she had practiced some deception
not the first offense of that sort for her,
knew-by Disgusting herself as a jockey
and murmur of applause went up in the
hall, she quickly disappeared.
"iOn Christmas eve in 1919 / was at one
of Christine Missions performances in San
Francisco. With party l occupied a
proscenium box. 1t was the fashion in those
days, as is still the fashion in Chicago, for
one box to level its lorgnette on the box
opposite. l discovered that the Donna
Isabella, the Cleopatra, and the jockey was
one of the occupants. / don't wonder that
the eyes of that beautiful artist, whom we
all went to see and admire, should seem to
be fixed upon the box where the Cuban
beauty was attired in a complete suit OF
seal. Here she was the elegant woman in
the garb of magnificent responsibility. All,
what mistake women make with us men
when they think that the genteel attire is
not the most captivating, after all think
there were only few present who knew
this beauty, and one of these was a United
States Senator who afterward took me to
this woman's home. shall not try to tell
you what that home was. have an idea
that you know it would be magnifcent--a
word which am conscious of having worn
out in this story But there was one thing
about it that you wouldn't expect; know
didn't-a library of over ), 90 volumes. The
books were not such as you would expect TO
find in the possession of such woman; but
| must tell you that this woman was a
lnguist, sculptress, pianist, lobbyist,
gambler, adventuress-not all at once, but
in the order have named. | do not men
ton it as to the mans discredit, for | can
understand why he called; but this woman
entertained Oscar Wilde when he was the
craze. and he bowed low before her captiva-
ting beauty; her beauty was not SO much of
the face as in her bearing and power of
fascination.
The storm door of the Iroquois Club
changed behind the narrator of another's
story as we turned to face the blast. | re-
minded the brave man that he hadn't told
me what success his friend had in his
adventure. He answered, as we hailed a
cab
1.-THE same as everybody else who plays
with the fire. He followed her until his
pocket book was worn out and when the
truth stood before him he had enough co n